Italian-Style Beef Rissoles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you are looking for a substantial meal to serve your family, give this recipe a try before warm weather arrives. A rissole is an extended meat patty that is breaded and fried. Those that are deep fried are especially delicious, but these days health concerns keep most of us from that excess. The ones I've created for this post are pan-seared and baked in a tomato sauce that makes them much like a poor man's veal Parmesan. I use ground beef and Italian spices in my rissoles and I extend them with a small amount of rice. While I've included a recipe for tomato sauce, feel free to use a commercial brand if that better suits your needs and time constraints. It takes about 30 minutes to assemble the rissoles and another 30 for them to bake. If you serve them with spaghetti you'll find these Italian-style patties will satisfy the heartiest appetites at your table. I'm always surprised at how quickly this meal disappears. Here is the recipe for those of you who would like to give them a try. Mangia.

Inside Outside Cabbage and Rice Casserole

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The first flush of fall always brings out the farm wife in me. Though our numbers have dwindled, falling leaves mean that flour and yeast will be bought in quantity and my stockpot, hidden for the summer, will again assume a place of prominence in the kitchen. When our children were still at home, it also signaled casserole season. Two of my three were athletes, and had the appetites of trencherman. The third, while less active, just loved to eat and had a metabolism that allowed caloric consumption that would have felled a lesser mortal. Suffice it to say, casseroles made a regular appearance on my table, and tonight's feature for deconstructed cabbage rolls is one they really enjoyed. The recipe is simple to follow and it is easy enough for your young athletes to make for themselves. This is a heavy dish, so I don't recommend serving it to those with peckish appetites, but if you cook for hearty eaters who enjoy full-flavored meals, you might want to give this casserole a try. Here is how it is made.

Braciola and Tomato Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The French may have pot-au-feu but when it comes to great steaming casseroles, Sicilian Sunday gravy made with meatballs, sausage and braciola probably has more fans. It is easier to make and certainly less expensive to construct than the boiled supper of the French. That's a good thing, especially when more than 20 people regularly gather for Sunday supper at your table. Mrs. S, a special woman who contributed so much to the richness of my childhood, was the undisputed queen of Sunday gravy and I suspect that in her lifetime she made enough of it to fill a swimming pool. I spent hours in her kitchen and, by osmosis, learned how to make many of the dishes she prepared for her huge extended family. She used no recipes and, because she had no daughters, none of her specialties were ever written down. I had a sense of what went into her Sunday gravy, but the particulars remained her secret. Time has changed the way we eat and I haven't thought of her gravy in years, but I chanced on a recipe for braciola in Saveur magazine and memories came rushing back. Now the Silver Fox and I are good eaters, but a gravy made with meatballs, sausage and braciola was way too much food for the two of us to contemplate, much less eat. Fortunately, the version in the magazine was streamlined and only braciola was used to flavor the sauce. Braciola are roulades of beef that are filled with a stuffing of some type. Years ago they were time consuming to make because the meat had to be thinly sliced and pounded before if could be stuffed. Nowadays, thinly sliced beef is available at the meat counter and the work has been considerably reduced. Once stuffed, the rolls are fried and then placed in sauce for a long slow braise that brings all the flavors together. I like my braciola to be fork tender, so I have made a few changes to the recipe you see below. To allow the rolls to brown without sticking, I dust them with an instant blend before frying. I also braise them in a 250 degree oven for 5 to 6 hours. The slow oven produces a wonderful tomato gravy and delicious roulades. We had these for dinner tonight and I loved the memories that surfaced as we ate them. I've found that good food makes for great company and even better memories. Thank you Rose, for everything. I hope you will give this recipe a try. Here's how the braciola and this version of Sunday gravy are made.

Braciola and Tomato Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Saveur magazine

Ingredients:
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
12 (6"x 4") slices boneless beef chuck, pounded to 1⁄16" thickness
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instant blend flour (i.e. Wondra)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 tp 1/2 teaspoons red chile flakes
2 (28-oz.) cans whole, peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed by hand
1 bay leaf
Cooked spaghetti and garlic bread for serving

Directions:
1) To make filling: Mix together raisins, 4 tablespoons parsley, pine nuts, Parmesan, and garlic in a bowl; set aside.
2) Place a slice of beef on a work surface perpendicular to you, season with salt and pepper, and place about 1 tablespoon filling on the bottom half. Roll beef up around the filling into a tight cylinder. Secure roll with toothpicks, and repeat with remaining beef and filling.
3) Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef rolls with salt and pepper and lightly dust with instant blend flour. Working in batches, add rolls, and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add onion to pot, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring to scrape bottom of pot, until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in chile flakes, tomatoes, and bay leaf, and then return beef rolls to pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered partially and gently stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours.
4) Remove meat rolls from sauce, remove toothpicks, and transfer to center of a serving platter. Continue cooking sauce until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Surround braciola with cooked spaghetti. Pour sauce over meat rolls, and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Moroccan Chicken Smothered in Olives

Two Years Ago Today: Christmas Bread Round-Up

Three Years Ago Today: Lebkuchen Bars and Speculaas

Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple pasta has the makings of a great family meal that will appeal to young and old alike. The dish has three basic elements; pasta, a rich tomato sauce and cheese. The sauce can be quickly made from canned or fresh tomatoes and the cheese can be served on the side or folded into the marinara if you want a creamy sauce. This is a perfect dish to serve on a busy school night. It can be made in stages. The tomato sauce, which freezes well, can be made days before its needed and rewarmed when you are ready to use it. For reasons that still elude me, cooks back in the 50's and 60's thought marinara sauce had to simmer for hours before it could be served. Imagine the looks on their faces if they were to learn that these days we make it in 20 minutes. Would they call that progress? I love the appearance of this dish. It has a spare elegance that I find appealing. The dish also makes me smile. When my children were quite young they called spaghetti worms and rigatoni whistles. I wonder if the food mainstream is ready for a dish called Whistles in Red Sauce. This basic tomato sauce is the one that introduced most of us to Italian cooking and I think we still love its simplicity. I hope those of you who make this recipe, which was found in a special issue of Gourmet, will enjoy your own walk down memory lane. Here's their recipe for Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce.

Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the special publication, Gourmet Easy Dinners.

Ingredients:
3 pounds fresh plum tomatoes or 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
2 large garlic cloves, crushed with side of a large heavy knife
Pinch of hot red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/4 tsp salt
4 fresh basil leaves, torn into bits
1 pound rigatoni
1 cup ricotta (about 8-ounces; preferably fresh)
Grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:
1) If using fresh tomatoes, cut a shallow X in bottom of each with a paring knife and blanch tomatoes in 3 batches in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling water, 1 minute per batch. Transfer blanched tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel, beginning from scored end, with knife, then halve lengthwise and seed. Chop tomatoes (fresh or canned), reserving juice (from cutting board or can).
2) Cook garlic and red-pepper flakes in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Discard garlic, then add tomatoes with their juice and salt and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and salt to taste.
3) Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of well salted boiling water, uncovered, until al dente, then drain in a colander.
4) Toss pasta with warm marinara sauce in a large bowl. Serve with ricotta and grated Pecorino Romano. Yield: 4 servings.

Cooks’ Notes: Sauce can be made ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered, up to 5 days or frozen in an airtight container for 2 months.

If using canned tomatoes, whose sodium content varies, use only 1/4 teaspoon salt then season your finished sauce with additional salt if desired.

One Year Ago Today: Elastic Ice Cream - Turkish Dondurma

Two Years Ago Today: Tomato Jam

Three Years Ago Today: Mile High Apple Pie with Cranberries

Pork Parmesan with Spaghetti

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a simple dish that is perfect for a weekday meal. While it can be made with turkey or chicken cutlets, I've used pork because the recipe offers yet another way to use a portion the large loins I buy at our local warehouse store. This recipe is quick and easy to make, although it is a bit messy to assemble. I've simplified preparation of the dish by using a commercially prepared tomato sauce. I've used Rao's sauces for quite a while now. They were recommended to me by my youngest daughter, a gorgeous and accomplished young woman who good-naturedly puts up with the rest of us calling her Baby Girl. At any rate, Baby Girl has excellent, if expensive, tastes and I was hooked the first time I tried her sauce. It is pricey, but I've learned to ease the pain by not looking at the register when I go through the grocer's check-out line. The pork can be served with pasta or crusty rolls and it really makes a nice family meal. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Pork Parmesan with Spaghetti...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
1-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
3 tablespoons olive oil + oil for drizzling
6 boneless thin-cut (1/2-inch thick) pork chops
2 to 3-1/2 cups Italian-style tomato sauce, divided use
1-1/2 cups (6-oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
8-oz. spaghetti or linguine

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring 4 quarts salted water to a boil.
2) Whisk flour, salt and pepper together in a shallow dish. Crack eggs into another shallow dish and beat until combined. Combine breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a third shallow bowl. Pound pork chops to 1/4-inch thickness. Season chops with salt and pepper. Dip cutlets, one at a time first in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil shimmers, place breaded chops in pan and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish large enough to hold cutlets in a single layer. Top each cutlet with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Lightly drizzle cutlets with olive oil. Bake until cheese melts and cutlets are warmed through.
3) Cook spaghetti per package instructions. Drain and toss with reserved tomato sauce. Serve with pork cutlets Yield:4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Strawberry Sorbet

Two Years Ago Today: Fusilli with Walnut and Garlic Sauce

Three Years Ago Today: Eggs Florentine

50 Women Game-Changers in Food - #4 Martha Stewart - Spaghetti 101

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I first saw Gourmet's list of the most influential women in food, I was genuinely surprised to see that Martha Stewart ranked higher than some of the other women on the list. I thought about it for a while, and, once I put my personal prejudice aside, I had to conclude that the choice and positioning of her name was probably right on the mark. While she may not be a great cook or writer, and never sparked a movement within the culinary world, the communication empire she built redefined the role of middle-class homemakers and the importance of food and entertaining in their lives. Her definition of the good life included wonderful food served in beautiful surroundings by a creative hostess who knew how to cook and entertain in a gracious and elegant manner. She was able to sell that vision to middle-class America and her empire was born. She created menus and recipes and then sold the dishes and linens on which they could be served. She was a workhorse and a powerhouse who strove for excellence in everything she did and, in doing that, changed the standard by which American homemakers judged themselves.

Picking a recipe that represents the work of this singular woman was not an easy task. There are thousands of them and not all the recipes that bear her name are actually her creations. I wanted to feature one that she considered to be the best of its kind. About 10 years ago, Martha did a series of shows that she called Cooking 101. In these shows she developed a series of recipes that she used to teach basic cooking techniques or highlight favorite family foods. This recipe comes from that series of programs, and, at that time, it had the distinction of being her most popular recipe. If you try this you'll see why. It is very easy to make. The dish has a spare elegance and it really is outstanding when it's made with San Marzano tomatoes and imported pasta. The recipe serves three people, but it can easily be doubled and you can have it on the table in 30 minutes. This is peasant food at its best. Here's how its made.

Martha Stewart's Spaghetti 101...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons + 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, drained
8 ounces thin, best-quality spaghetti
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, cut into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh basil or parsley leaves, loosely packed and torn
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, optional

Directions:
1) In a tall stockpot, bring 3 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil.
2) Use a food mill or potato ricer to crush tomatoes. Reserve juice from breakdown of tomatoes.
3) Drop spaghetti into boiling water; stir. Cook until al dente, about 11 minutes, or according to package instructions.
4) Place a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat; add oil. Add garlic to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add red-pepper flakes and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until garlic is medium golden, about 1 minute.
5) Increase heat to high. Tilting pan at an angle, add tomatoes and their juices. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until tomatoes begin to thicken, 5 to 6 minutes.
6) Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 1 cup liquid in case sauce gets too dry. Add pasta to sauce in saute pan; cook until sauce begins to cling to pasta, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in basil; cook 30 seconds more. Divide among bowls, and sprinkle with cheese, if desired. Yield:2 to 4 servings.

Additional recipes and tributes to Martha Stewart can be found on these excellent blogs.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets

Everyone is welcome to participate. If you'd like to join us next Friday when we salute M.F.K. Fisher let me know via email.

Boulettes - Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I should never let my imagination loose in the French peasant kitchen. I find it terribly hard to leave and tend to overstay my welcome. I do, however, hope you'll indulge me if I linger there another day or two. I have some recipes I want to share with you. The frugality of French housewives is legend and their ability to transform the simplest of table scraps into delicious meals only serves to magnify the legend. It does sometimes seem they have the ability to make something out of nothing. Many of you will be serving roast beef for Passover or the Easter holiday. You're bound to have leftovers and boulettes - meatballs - are a great way to use leftover cooked beef. These are very easy to make and they are wonderfully flavorful. Credit for the recipe should go to Jacques Pepin who, while a celebrity chef, is also a wonderful teacher and author. If you have a food processor, preparation of the meatballs and their sauce will go quickly and you can have dinner on the table in less than an hour. The texture of these meatballs is quite soft. If you find they refuse to hold their shape, add small amounts of breadcrumbs until they can be formed, but don't overdo it. The sauce in which the meatballs simmer has diabolical color, but no heat. It is quite thick and you may want to thin it with stock or white wine. The boulettes can be served with pasta or rice, but I love to serve them with French gnocchi, a dish we'll explore tomorrow. Here's how the boulettes are made.

Boulettes - Meatballs with Tomato Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Jacques Pepin and Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients:
Meatballs
12 ounces leftover roast beef, veal or pork, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying
Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their liquid
1/3 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1) To make meatballs: Put meat in a food processor and process until finely chopped. In a large bowl, mix flour with baking powder and salt. Add chopped meat, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, pepper and eggs and mix with your hands until thoroughly blended. Form mixture into 16 meatballs and flatten slightly.
2) To fry meatballs: Heat 1/4-inch oil in a large skillet until it shimmers. Add meatballs and cook over high heat until browned on bottom. Turn meatballs, reduce heat to moderate and cook until browned on second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a large plate.
3) To make sauce: Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic, onion, thyme and oregano and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, cover and cook over moderate heat for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender, puree sauce until slightly chunky; alternatively, puree the sauce in a food processor and return the sauce to the saucepan. Set aside.
4) To prepare olives: Put olives into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately drain and add to tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add meatballs and heat through. Serve with pasta, rice or gnocchi Parisienne. Yield: 4 servings.






One Year Ago Today: Eggs in Purgatory














Two Years Ago Today: Crock-Pot: Thai-Style Sweet and Sour Chicken








You might also enjoy these recipes:
Lightened-Up Swedish Meatballs - Healthy and Delicious
Mexican Meatball Street Tacos - I Wash...You Dry
Turkey Pesto Parmesan Meatballs - Elle's New England Kitchen
Chicken Meatballs with Stir Fry Veggies - Sweet Basil Kitchen
Sweet and Sour Meatballs - A Bitchin' Kitchen
Chilli Chicken Meatballs - Simply Delicious
Kofte with Tzaziki Sauce - What's Cooking on the Mommy Porch
Ricotta Stuffed Meatballs - Proud Italian Cook
Pork Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce: Albondigas - One Perfect Bite
Pineapple Glazed Ham Balls - Simply Recipes

Mussels Fra Diavola

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderful dish that I love to make at least once during the Christmas holiday. If I were Italian and celebrated the Feast of Seven Fishes, I would include it in my menu for Christmas Eve. That would raise an eyebrow or two because the dish, like vodka sauce for pasta, is an Italian-American creation that is rarely served in Italy. Whatever the origin, mussels prepared in this fashion are a memorable, if messy, treat. Whenever I serve these, I cover the table with vinyl or oilcloth and distribute lobster bibs. It also helps to provide a large bowl or two to hold empty shells. Everyone at the table also receives two dish towels, one damp, the other dry. Only a crab boil is messier than this to serve to folks who eat with gusto. Believe me when I say, my folk have cornered the gusto market and these preparations are a necessity rather than an affectation. Once the mussels have been scrubbed and their beards removed, the dish can be made in minutes. Its heat, the alla diavola, comes from red pepper flakes, so you can manage it to your family's liking as long as you know their tolerance for heat. The dish has just three elements, a spicy red sauce, mussels and linguine. The mussels simmer in sauce and when they open they are served along with the sauce over piping hot linguine. I always serve this with a salad and the best Italian bread I can get my hands on. I do hope you'll try mussels prepared in this fashion. They really are delicious. Here's the recipe.

Mussels Fra Diavola...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
12 garlic cloves, minced (1/3 cup)
3/4 to 1-1/2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1/4 cup drained bottled capers
1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 lb dried linguine
3 lb mussels (preferably cultivated), cleaned (see cooks' note, below)

Directions:
1) Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with purée, tomato paste, herbs, capers, olives, and wine and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes, until sauce is thick, about 15 minutes.
2) Cook linguine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain in a colander.
3) While pasta cooks, increase heat under sauce to moderately high and add mussels, then cook, covered, until mussels just open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring to a bowl. (Discard any mussels that remain unopened after 6 minutes.)
4) Serve linguine with mussels and sauce. Yield: 6 servings.

Cooks' note:
1) Scrub mussels with a brush under cold water and scrape off any barnacles with a knife. Remove beard by pulling it from tip to hinge or by pulling and cutting it off with knife.
2) Tomato sauce, without mussels, can be made and refrigerated 2 days before serving.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Salt Cod and Tomato Stew - One Perfect Bite
Feast of the Seven Fishes - Italian Food Forever
Broiled Mussels - Smitten Kitchen
Sauteed Mussels with Garlic - The Housewife Diet
Flexing My Mussels - Charm and Salt
Moules Mariniere - One Perfect Bite
Coconut Curry Mussels - Simply Recipes
Spicy Mussels in White Wine - The Culinary Chronicles
Mario Batali's Feast of the Seven Fishes - Epicurious

Eggs in Purgatory - Blue Monday

...and my favorite "blue" boys





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...What do you have for dinner after a day of hiking in paradise? Ever the contrarian, I settled on a dish called Uova in Purgatorio, or Eggs in Purgatory. This remarkably versatile Neopolitan dish is the poor man's version of Eggs Benedict. It consists of eggs that are "poached" or baked in a spicy tomato sauce and then spooned over a base that is limited only by the imagination of the cook. I was particularly unadventurous tonight and served ours on thick crusty slices of Portuguese bread. Giada De Larentis has a version of the eggs that she serves on mashed potato cake. It sounds wonderful and I'm sure it's delicious, but this is one of my go-to meals for days where the clock has run out and we have yet to eat. The potatoes would edge the dish into a category more substantial that I wanted to deal with. I'll admit it. I settled, but in doing so I kept the focus of the dish of a wonderful puttanesca sauce and perfectly poached or baked eggs. The eggs absorbed the flavor of the sauce as they cook, so what would seem to be a bland choice for a meal actually becomes something that can excite the palate. While I love this dish made with puttanesca sauce, any good tomato sauce, even the kind that comes in a jar, can be used without compromising your results. This, by the way, is a wonderful choice for a brunch. It can be assembled the night before it's needed and baked off just before serving. Here's a recipe that would make even Dante happy.

Eggs in Purgatory...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite and countless Neopolitan peasant tables

Ingredients:
Puttanesca Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 heaping tablespoon anchovy paste or 1 tablespoon minced canned anchovies
1 can (28-oz) crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
4 - 8 whole eggs
4 - 8 thickly sliced peasant bread
Optional: 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Directions:
1) To make Puttanesca sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add garlic, pepper flakes and anchovies to pan and cook just until garlic is fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add capers, olives and parsley and heat to warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer sauce to a baking pan large enough to hold whatever number of eggs you are using. Crack eggs onto surface of sauce, keeping the eggs yolks intact. Whites may overlap but that's fine. Bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes, until whites are set and yolks are still a bit runny. Add bread to oven about five minutes before eggs finish cooking. Serve eggs over toast and sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese. Drizzlw with olive oil and serve hot. Yield: 4 to 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Oven Baked Scrambled Eggs - One Perfect Bite
Piperada Bocadillo - One Perfect Bite
Individual Baked Omelets - One Perfect Bite
Eggs in Purgatory - Serious Eats
Eggs in Purgatory - A Feast for the Eyes

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday